Derval O'Rourke: ‘I could be fit and strong but the scales may not say that’
Puffy Jacket by Puma at Kildare Village. Styling: Fiona Hayes. Picture: Joleen Cronin.
The holiday is over. Put the mince pies and extra-thick brandy cream away for another year. Welcome to the cold, bleak reality that is January and your annual health, fitness and wellbeing stock-take.
‘In my previous life as a professional athlete my goals were really easy because we had two championships a year so it was: be ready to run really fast twice a year and then I retired and I was very goal-less. And then I fell into what I think everyone falls into which is tying things to weight. I thought okay, try and get back to the weight you were before you had the baby, for no reason other than it was a fairly easily identifiable goal. I didn’t enjoy it. I like to feel fit and strong and I realised I could be fit and strong but the scales might not say that.’
‘I would never put down the goal of losing weight because for some people it’s so important and it really motivates them but ask yourself what the kick-on is? If you lose x amount of weight, what does it enable you to do? Is it a swim with your pals, a fitness class you’ve been too intimidated to do? Spend time with it and dig into it because when you’re trying to do the things that help you get to your goal it’s easier if you understand your reasoning for doing that. People can really empower themselves.
‘As a professional athlete I used to sit down every September and write out what was success to me as an athlete, what feeds into that and is that realistic? I took time with it. I’d write it all out and then I’d present it to my coaches and say this is what has to happen for us to get there. For people who aren’t trying to compete at the Olympic games, and that includes me now, take that time to work out your goals and then find someone or a community that you’re accountable to. That’s been a big thing for me. I ended up creating a business because I didn’t feel like it was there.’
‘The first step to achieving our goals is to really understand it. You have to know when you’re doing a project what it is you want to achieve. Don’t just set your goal. Figure out what falls under your goal. So say your goal is to mind yourself. For me I need to be doing something physical every day. Before I came up today I walked for twenty minutes. I need to move. Then I need to eat relatively well. I don’t eat perfectly but I enjoy eating well because I feel better. Also, a massive one for me is I need sleep. If I’m not sleeping it’s bad times for everybody including me. I also need to have the craic, I need connection. There’s a bit of madness and mischief in me. I want a bit of a laugh. And my last one is work. If my work isn’t fulfilling that feeds into me not minding myself. If my work doesn’t sit well with me as a person, if I don’t enjoy it, if I don’t feel like there’s meaning or value in it, it impacts on me.’
‘I think your goals have to match where you are in life. You have circumstances whether you’re 20 or 40. When I was 20 I was useless at lifting weights, a typical skinny Irish girl from Cork. And then when I was 30 I was exceptional at lifting weights because I had put down a decade of training at it as a professional athlete. Now, at 41, I’m good at weights because it’s something I’ve done. My point is, what are your realities? My 41 versus someone else’s 41 could be different. You have to figure out your own realities.’
‘I’m curious about what my body can do for the next forty years. I come at it from a point of view of of what do I need to give it grace? I have a back problem, I need to take care of my back but one of the other things I can do is what makes my body feel good. I feel good after a walk. I feel good if I do pilates and if I lift some weights. I think women have a funny history of beating ourselves up about our bodies. If you’ve got to this point in your forties your body deserves a little credit, a bit of grace. I think it’s very hard to get to where you want to feel health-wise if you’re saying all the dark mean things in your head, which most women do a lot of the time. I’m opposite because I’ve come from a different angle as an athlete. I had to live in a world where I had to tell myself ‘no one is better than me’ genuinely for twelve years, which is a bit mad but you have to have a bit of an ego.’
‘You can’t always be on. You can’t always be up. Sometimes being grand is enough. People underestimate mental periodisation. You can’t always be peaking. So in athletics every day is not the biggest day. If you have a goal and it’s leading towards losing weight by a certain date you know mentally you have to be very switched on about what snacks you’re eating or your food prep so you have to apportion that mental energy but then you have to look at the rest of your life. Do you have a really big work project on? You’re not going to be trying to reach a big health goal at the same time. If I’m under a lot of work pressure I will just keep myself ticking over fitness-wise but then when this pressure point passes I’m going to put a focus back on myself and what I’m trying to achieve and I’ll switch it back and forth. It’s all about riding the rollercoaster and when the rollercoaster is down a little bit take that time to be down.’
‘I remember going to a spin class and absolutely hating it and thinking there is nothing worse. You have to do things you don’t’ dread. If you dread it, you’re not going to do it long-term. Sometimes it’s good to do things that are a bit outside of your comfort zone but if you do that every day you’re going to be miserable. If you absolutely hate going to the gym, buy a couple of weights and have them at home, and then twice a week do fifteen minutes, set your timer on your watch and say, I don’t love it but it’ll be grand. If you have a good reason for doing something you can get through it.’
‘Start by upskilling on your basics. Everyone can learn to cook. There’s enough free resources out there. You don’t need to be Neven Maguire but learn how to stock your kitchen so you can make good choices.
‘What’s on your plate? Try to become aware of portioning. It should be half veg, a quarter protein, and a quarter carbs and a little bit of healthy fat.
‘With exercise, something is always better than nothing. People think I can’t do that because I don’t have time, I don’t have the money, I don’t know what I’m doing but everybody knows how to walk, most people, and it’s free and it’s really easy to access. Just do something. Sleeping and walking are two of the most underrated performance enhancers in everybody’s life. If you haven’t moved you need to move. If you struggle to sleep, where’s your mobile phone? What are the things that help you and how many of them are you implementing? What can you do to help yourself?’
Photography: Joleen Cronin
Makeup: Lizzy Desmond
Creative Styling: @fhstyle Fiona Hayes Clothing @kildarevillage Kildare village
Location: @2pointroad 2 point road cafe
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